Art of coloring moving-picture films



E. s. GILLESPIE.

ART OF COLORING MOVING PICTURE FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1918.

Patented June 8, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

E. S. GILLESPIE.

ART OF COLORING MOVING PICTURE FILMS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1918.

1,342,803. Patented June 8 1920:

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- 7 D E. -S. GILLESPIE.

ART OF COLORING MOVING PLCTURE FILMS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1.918.

1,342,803. Patented June 8, 1920.

I 3 SHEETSSHEET 3- gnu en 1 oz $5 PM, 515; ZZ

Un t-so STATES earsn'r OFFICE.

EDWARD SFGILLESPIE, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ART OF COLORING MOVING-PICTURE FI LMSL aaaeoe.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD S. GILLESPIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at .Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Art of Coloring Moving-Picture Films, of which the following is aspecification.

Thisinvention relates to the art of coloring moving picture films.

An object of the inventionis to produce printing rollers of simple and improved construction whereby coloring matter may be applied to the film.

Further objects of the invention are to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of parts comprising the invention.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of.

the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 are plan views of different forms of printing rollers, in connection with my invention.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are end views of the rollers shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View showing a pair of the rollers illustrated in Fig. 1 arranged in position for operation and showing also pressure rollers co-acting therewith and a strip of film passing between the printing rollers and the pressure rollers.

- Fig. 8 is an edge view of the parts shown ject in progressively advanced position and.

illustrating how a portion of the emulsion Specification of Letters Patent.

is removed from the face of the film in carrylng out a part of the improved process.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of one of the printing pads with its foundation complete.

Fig. 11 is a sectional 'view taken on the line 1818 in Fig; 10.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

A printing roller illustrative of the most simple form of my invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The roller which may be constructed of any suitable metal such as brass or. aluminum may be of any desired diameter although it is desirable to adopt a standard diameter for this as well as for other forms or types of rollers to be hereinafter described. In order that such rollers may be interchangeably mounted in a machine frame of standardized construction, the roller seen in Figs. 1 and 4c is to be of a width corresponding with the width of a standard picture film. The roller which is designated by numeral 15 is provided with grooves or channels 16 extending transversely across the face thereof in parallel relation to the axis of the roller each of said grooves being of a width equal to the call the printing faces 17. The printing faces 17 are provided with spurs 18 adja'cent to the ends thereof, said spurs being for engagement with the perforations 19 in the strip of film a portion of which is seen at 20 in Figs. 7 and 8.

In preparing the printing roller for actual use,-the printing faces of said roller are to be provided with printing pads some of which may be seen at 21. hese pads must, of course, be properly positioned and each pad must be of an area corresponding with theareaof the film picture to be colored. Thus, if the entire surface of the film picture is to receive one solid color, the area of the printing pad must correspond with the area'of the film picture. If, on the other hand, only a portion of the picture is to be Patented June 8, 1920. Application filed February 9, 1918. Serial No. 216,410.

and a blue sky, printing pads will first be arranged to apply the one color to the proper portion of each film picture, the other color of a piece of celluloid such as is employed in the manufacture of films, said celluloid having the customary perforations at the sides thereof which will be adapted to engage the teeth of the rollers adjacent to the printing faces. The facing b-consists of a thin coating of gelatin or other suitable material which will absorb and transfer the ink or coloring solution that is being used and which will be rejected by celluloid. In the preferred method of carrying out the invention a printingpad consisting of a gelatin coated piece of celluloid is cemented on each printing face of a roller. I then take a reproduction of the film which is to be colored and remove from the face of each picture of such reproduction a portion which corresponds with the moving object that is to be colored, Thus, in Fig. 9 I have shown a portion of a film, some of the pictures of which represent a ball in progressively ad-' vancing position. That portion of,the emulsion which represents the ball is removed from each picture. The film is then soaked in coloring solution which is absorbed by the emulsion but is rejected by that portion'of the celluloid base which has been exposed by removing the emulsion. The printing roller having the printing pads applied thereto is now placed in the machine mounted in such a manner as to permit the prepared film to be run over the same, leaving an imression on the face of each printing'pad.

he portion of the facing on each pad which has thus been colored is now removed, leaving in position just that portion which .is necessary to apply coloring matter to the film that is to be colored. It follows that when the film that is to be colored receives an impression from the roller, just those portions of the film pictures which are to be colored will receive impressions, assuming,

of course, that the film and the printing roller have been placed in proper registry before the beginning of the operation.

It is evident that a roller construction, as seen in Figs. 1 and 4, will apply coloring matter only to every alternate picture of a film owing to the presence of the grooves or channels 16 in the interspaces between the printing faces. The particular reason for forming these grooves or channels is to avoid any possibility of coloring substance being permitted to overlap the pictures thereby producing blotches and a general unsightly appearance. In order to avoid the necessity 'tire area of the picture.

of passing the film twice through a machine .when this form of roller is used, it is the ill-- tention to use two rollers simultaneously, as clearly seen in Figs. 7 and 8, where the rollers have been shown diagrammatically as well as the pressure rollers 23 and the strip of film 20. The rollers 15 are supported for rotation in spacedrelation, the

pressure rollers being also mounted for r0 tation in such, a fashion that they will con-.

tact with the printing pads of the respective printing rollers, the pressure rollers being i of such width that they will engage between the spurs 18. adjacent to the ends of the printing roller. The rollers are so arranged that while one roller will apply coloring substance to alternate pictures the intermediate pictures will receive coloring substance from the other roller. Thus, at a single operation,

coloring substance may be applied to each picture of a film irrespective of the length of the latter.

The invention as thus far described is applicable to the coloring of film pictures where objects to be colored are stationary or where a single color is applried to the enhere moving objects are shown in a film a printing roller of a somewhat different construction is employed, specimens of such rollers having been shown in Figs. 2, 5, 3 and 6 of the drawings. In these rollers the printing faces, here designated by 35, are disposed spirally with respect to the circumference of the roller, and the latter is made of'a length tocontain anynumber of spirals that may be found necessary to color that portion of the film in which the moving object apobject. When such a roller is used, it must obviously be mounted for longitudinal sliding movement axially, the roller being ad- .Vanced by engagement with the film, or the I film must be mounted in such a manner as to be capable of traversing the face of the roller longitudinally. The roller, of course, may be of any length to provide the requisite number of printing faces.

By the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 5 the face of the roller is provided with obliquely disposed grooves 38 corresponding I pears. The printing pads, here designated by 36, the outlines of the gelatin faces of to the grooves 16 in Figs. 1 and 4. By the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 6 the roller is provided with printing faces disposed contiguously and merely separated by narrow V-shaped grooves of sufficient depth to receive any possible overflow of coloring solution without danger of blotching or marring the pictures.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed, it will be seen that I have provided a simple, effective and inexpensive method and device for coloring moving picture films whether moving objects or stationary objects only are to be colored.

Having described the invention what I claim as new is:

1 A printing roller for coloring picture films, said roller having circumferentially disposed printing faces and grooves separating said printing faces, and individual printing pads afiixed on said faces.

2. A printing roller for coloring picture films, said roller having circumferentially disposed printing faces and grooves separating said printing fares, and printing pads aflixed on said faces, said pads being saturated with coloring solution.

3. A printing roller for coloring picture,

disposed printing faces and grooves separating said printing faces, and printing pads secured on said faces, each pad composed of a base of non-absorbent material and a fac ing of absorbent material.

5. A printing roller for coloring picture films, said roller having circumferentially disposed printing faces and grooves separating said printing faces, spurs adjacent to the edges thereof and printing pads aflixed on said faces, said pads including each a base portion of non-absorbent material having perforations engaging the spurs, and a facing of absorbent material, the area of which is confined between the spurs.

6. A printing roller for coloring picture films, said roller having circumferentially disposed printing faces and grooves separating said printing faces, spurs adjacent to the edges thereof and printing pads aflixed on said faces, said pads including each a base portion of non-absorbent material having perforations engaging the spurs, and a facing of absorbent material, the area of which is confined between the spurs, said facing being of an area, outline and location corresponding with the impression to be made.

7. A printing roller for coloring picture films haying spaced grooves in the periphery thereof to provide alternate raised portions and depressions, the raised portions defining printing faces spaced apart around the periphery of the roller by the grooves.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

EDWARD S. GILLESPIE. 

